Disability Forum Newslink April 2013 Here to Make Peterborough a More Accessible Place to Live a Fond Farewell to Gorgeous George!
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Disability Forum NewsLink April 2013 Here to make Peterborough a more accessible place to live A fond farewell to Gorgeous George! Cllr George Simons time as Mayor of Peterborough comes to an end in May, and what a busy year it has been for Cllr Simons and his wife Sylvia, not least in their fantastic support for people with disabilities in the city. Mayor and Mayoress Simons with members at the Disability Forum Olympic Torch day in July 2012 The Mayors chosen charities for the year were Combat Stress, which assists returning armed forces personnel suffering from mental health conditions, and the Rudolf Fund, which helps seriously ill children, have a Christmas to remember. But Cllr and Mrs Simons support for Peterborough’s disabled residents over the past year has been much more than mere fund raising for two excellent charities. They have brought smiles to the faces of hundreds of local residents, many of them with disabilities or long term health conditions. Bryan Tyler, Disability Forum Manager and Mayors Charity Committee member talked to the Mayor and Mayoress about the highs of the past 12 months. “Bryan, it’s been tremendous. The only downside was meeting you and Cllr John Fox! I’ve aged 20 years! But seriously, both Sylvia and I have had a year we will never forget and getting the opportunity of getting involved with the Disability Forum has been one of the highlights. Mayor and Mayoress with members at the Disability Forum Tea Party in the Town Hall Some of the other highlights in a memorable 12 months for George and Sylvia were meeting six royals in one year! Including Prince Charles, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Gloucester and not to mention lunch with the Queen! Peterborough Disability Forum NewsLink Newsletter April 2013 In July Mayor Councillor Simons took part in the Olympic Torch train journey. Arranged by the Peterborough Disability Forum, Cllr John Fox and Hannah Forman from Nene Valley Railway, over 200 disabled people took part in a day of fun, games and entertainment culminating in a picnic lunch on board the City of Peterborough train which carried the Olympic torch into Peterborough. The Mayor and Mayoress then had to hotfoot it into the city centre to meet up with Olympic silver medallist Louis Smith A subject close to the Mayor’s heart is showing respect for the armed forces. In the past year we have seen a number of events take place, expressing gratitude and pride for our troops and to honour the memory of soldiers lost, including the dedication and unveiling of the new war memorial, Armistice Day and the homecoming parade for the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment. “There have been so many fantastic occasions it is difficult picking just a few, but the whole year has been tremendous and we have made so many new friends along the way!” Said George and Sylvia No preening or posturing, no massive ego-trip from this public servant, just a great example of how to behave with humour, respect and dignity in high office. Gorgeous George, great man, great ambassador and great Mayor! Thanks for a fantastic year Mr and Mrs Mayor! Inspire Peterborough Sport and Leisure Forum Next meeting is at Timestop, Wellington Street, Peterborough on Monday 13th May 2-4 pm Peterborough Disability Forum Next Forum meeting is in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall on Thursday 30th May 1-3 pm. Peterborough bus user group (BUGs) Next meeting is in the Viersion Room of the Town Hall on Thursday 30th May 10.30-12.30. All welcome Peterborough Disability Forum NewsLink Newsletter April 2013 Spring is here and we need your help! You may be aware that over the past few years the Disability Forum has been involved in many initiatives to improve access for disabled people in Peterborough. The Train station, Ferry Meadows, St Peters Road, the Cowgate redevelopment are just a few of the most recent projects that have engaged local disabled people to improve accessibility Working with Leonie McCarthy from the city council, Jan Loveless from Access Matters UK and Cllr John Fox we want to build on the work already taken place and continue to make access improvements throughout the city centre and beyond. At the Disability Forum on Thursday May 30th, we want to hear your views and get you involved. Which parts of town could do with a makeover? Which buildings can’t you get in to? We are also looking at raising a small group of volunteers to help carry out feedback surveys. Reasonable lunch and travel expenses available Contact [email protected] Is falling out of an aeroplane from 12000ft on your bucket list? You know at the back of your mind you want to! Well here is your opportunity to team up with a group of like-minded people who want to make the leap of a lifetime and raise lots of money for local good causes On Saturday September 7th, Inspire Peterborough is holding a Skydiving and Sports day at Sibson Airfield. Not only are we looking for skydivers but we want exhibitions, games, stalls and rides to add to the day’s fun. Ideally we would like to raise funds for local volunteer sports providers who normally get overlooked for funding opportunities, but, if you have a good cause that is close to your heart then why not come along, get involved and make money for the charity of your choice Contact Bryan [email protected] Peterborough Disability Forum NewsLink Newsletter April 2013 Inspire Peterborough Skydive and Sports Day Extravaganza Saturday 7th September at Sibson Airfield, Wansford Nr Peterborough, PE8 6NE The contract ink has dried and the Inspire Peterborough Skydive and Sports day is officially on! Please complete the form below if you want to take part in the skydiving. The cost is £200 per person per jump. A £50 deposit (payable to UK Parachuting) is required before the 30th July. Balance payable on the day. If you want to get involved in the day’s events why not have a stand to promote your charity or organisation. Or why not take part in some of the sports and leisure activities planned for the day, Inc Football knockout, Cricket sessions and Rowing. There will also be live music and disco, BBQ, Clubhouse, raffle and much more. Raise money for the charity of your choice. All money raised on the day will go to supporting local charities associated with Inspire Peterborough who provide sports and leisure activities for local disabled people. Name Tel: Email Chosen Over 16? Charity Yes I would like a table/stand (no charge but donations appreciated) Name Organisation Tel: Email: Charity? Return this page only to Bryan [email protected] Peterborough Disability Forum NewsLink Newsletter April 2013 It’s so much easier to pick on the disabled, elderly and vulnerable than it is the real cheats isn’t it Mr Duncan Smith? Fraudsters will be able to make multiple benefits claims on one house without being caught, MPs warn ahead of major reforms Universal Credit is the flagship benefits reform of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith but benefit changes coming into force this year leave the door open for fraudsters to submit multiple claims on the same house. The taxpayer already loses £350million a year in housing benefit fraud and MPs have warned plans to combine a raft of hand-outs into a single payment will see even more public money claimed illegally. Pilots of Universal Credit have started and will be implemented nationally from October. It replaces a string of benefits such as housing benefit and child tax credits. Councils have been raising concerns about fraud for three years, but the DWP has still not found a way to prevent a major source of fraud. The system will not work from local authority property databases so it will not be able to detect automatically, as local systems did now, when several people made a housing benefit claim for the same property. MPs have also raised concerns that there will be an exodus of experienced local authority housing department staff, who will quit due to uncertainty over their future prospects, which ‘will leave the system more open to fraud’. The committee said the Government must make sure that local authorities have the admin funding they need to manage the transition to Universal Credit and stop staff leaving prematurely. Universal Credit is being introduced in gradual stages over several years, with the national rollout following several ‘pathfinder’ pilot projects taking place from this month. A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman said: ‘Universal Credit will cut benefit fraud by £200 million a year and we are confident that our IT systems will be strong enough to protect us from the threat of fraud. ‘We have been running pilot projects with local authorities to ensure that those people who can't manage with monthly or direct payments get the support they need.’ Disabled people are more than twice as likely to have no qualifications: 23 per cent of working age disabled people do not have any formal qualifications compared to 9 per cent of working age non-disabled people Peterborough Disability Forum NewsLink Newsletter April 2013 Are you interested in learning to ride? On Thursday 2nd May, Lynch Farm riding club is holding a taster session afternoon. The first session beginning at 11.30 until 1 pm and will be for decision makers, organisers and support staff and from 1.30 pm onwards participants will be introduced to the animals and give those who are willing to have a short ride.